Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1887-05-01
IT HAS COME TO STAY.
The Interstate LaW-Senat0r Cor.
man Says the Railroads Only Are
Opposed to 1t
And Are Trying to Make 1t OdiOus-Peti-
lions Before the CommissIon in Wash
tnSton Yesterday.

WASHINGTON, April Ex-senator Cor
man of Maryland, referring to the inter
state commerce bill to-day declared thai
all opposition thus far manifested came
from the railroads themselves. "TheiI
object" said the Senator, "seems to be
to make the question an odiOus one, and
thus compel It's repeal by Congress at It's
next session. But the railroad people
might as well make up their minds to.sub-
nit gracefully, for the interstate com.
merce commission has come to stay. The
mere fact Of q railroad companies oppos-
ing the law will not influence Congress"
The Southern Pacific RailrOad company
presented to the commission this morning
petition which sets forth that that cor
poration is in competition, in the matter
of through passengers and freights, with
the Canadian Pacific Railroad, the Pacific
Mail Steamship Company, clippers and
tramp steamers, and that the business,
while practically of the same character,
is done under dissimilar conditions. The
transCOntinental railroads, in conjunction
with the Southern Pacific Railroad, have
agreed upon two tariffs-one based upon
the assumption that the fourth
section of the law does apply
and the other that it does not
apply to business for which the lines
compete. The petitioners argue at length
that in case they should adhere TO the
first schedule the result would be the loss
of a greater part of their through business,
and that the effect of this schedule has
been to reduce the through business 80
4In- oyo
that if the rates for intermediate local
traffic should be reduced to rates not
greater than those necessary to enable
the petitioners to do any considerable
part of the through business, the earnings
of the railroad companies would be wholly
inadequate to pay expenses. In view of
these facts, the transcOntinental lines,
before putting into effect such tariffs as
they believe the law demands, invoke the
suspension of the long and short haul
clause, and ask that they be permitted
to charge less for "Ionger than for shorter
hsus."
Mr.. Charles II. SWeed of New York,
addressed the commission in support of
the petition In answer to q question by
Judge TuleY he said that his road had
not prepared q schedule of rates for sub |
mission to the commission, for the reason |
that If their prayers were granted the |
Canadian Pacific Railway would cut
charges, so that the relief would be only |
temporary. General Eastern Agent |
HaWley of the Southern Pacific Railroad,
testified In support of the petition that
the rates of the carriers named in the pc
tItiOn were so low that they were simply
ruinous, and to meet this competition the
PaCiiC Road had either to meet these low
rates or lose all the business. At present,
he said, on account of the new law, al
freight from the east to the west was be.
ing transported by the Canadian Pacific +
Road, by clipper ships and the Pacific
Mail COmpany's steamers. He was sub
ieUted to q searching CrOss-eXaminatiOn
By E. n. Taft of New York, representing
the clipper lines. Ex-senator Van
WyCk also took hand in the examina-
ton.
Mr.. a. S. BrittOn, representing the
AtChison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad,
presented petition and spoke in support
of it. He took the ground that under the
law the clipper vessels had fixed their
rates Just low enough to secure business,
but that these rates were of no advantage
TO shippers. After setting forth the hard
ships under which the railroad was
placed by the operations of the law, Mr..
BrittOn closed by asking that his road be
allowed to charge less for long haul than
8 short haul.
EX-SecretarY Belknap, on behalf of the :
st. Louis and San Francisco Railroad, {
presented petition setting forth that if {
they were not relieved from the opera {
tons IF the fourth section Of the law they |
could not compete with water routes in /
carrying the products of California. Col {
onel George Gray, representing the North s
ern Pacific Railroad, gave notice that he Z
would file petition Of g similar purport. {
Mr.. Goddard, assistant manager of the {
Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Road, I
located at Topeka, stated that since the t
passage Of the Interstate law rates have !
been materially advanced by the clipper 8
and tramp vessels doing business between f
California and New York and Boston
Having charge of all freight business he | 8
could state from personal observation G
hat since the passage of the law his road q
las done absolutely no through business 4
rom California to the east as they could S
lot, under the law, meet the rates charged c
)y the water routes. In answer to Com +
missioner Walker, Mr.. Goddard said at q {
general conference IN Chicago few r
Dad officers, through rates were ad- +
anced, perhaps, threefold. The former Il
ate on sugar from San Francisco to Kan
as City was 60 cents. per 100 pounds; Il
Ow it was Sl.45 per 100 pounds, which il
VaS in keeping with the new schedule if
dopted. In reply to question by eX-
enator Van WyCk he stated that the "
ates in Kansas were fixed by cOnsulta- a
on between the railroad commission of 9
.ansas and the railroad officials. In re- C.
ly to Commissioner Cooley Mr.. Goddard II
lated that in his opinion no relief was m
ecessary or desired for fresh fruit; per il
APPS relief was wanted for canned goods =,
he time required from California to New
ork for freight was about twenty three n,
avs. r.
Colonel George Gray, attorney for the pc
orthern Pacific Railroad Company at
Re afternoon session Of the interstate w
commission, presented q petit sc
on Of his road, in which it is stated that th
carrier by railroad cannot compete sue fl
ssfully with carrier by water for any
period, for the reason that
ties which would be remunerative to the sh
tier would entail loss upon the for
er; that the Canadian Pacific Railroad,
oJect only to the laws of Canada, and
restricted by the Interstate commerce Sp
", can and has put It's rates so low that
has deprived the Northern Pacific Rail- CO
ad Of by far g greater part Of its trans TIL
business. The petition con- ~,
ldes by asking that the fourth section +or
the bill be suspended. Co.